Because of a Garden and a Twilight Walk
by Ranma Inverse
Summary: What if Sephiroth and Aeris were given another chance at life? Please read! Read read read! R and R please! ^_^ R and R! It is now R because of things that will happen later on! ^_^
1. The teaser

Because of the Garden and a Twilight Walk

**Because of a Garden and a Twilight Walk**   
by Ranma Inverse   
--A seemingly A.U FF7 fic...but it will be explained. ^~--

  
  


_Author's notes: This is what I get for falling asleep at 3:00 AM after having a "little" too much sugar. Ah well...Sephiroth fans, Aeris fans...please enjoy. ^_^;; (BIG hint on the main couple there. o.O) Erm..I guess one would call this "sap" and such. What if the two were given another chance at life? What if they happened to meet? What if they were destined to..._   
-I forgot the color of Sephy's eyes!!! T_T WAAAAHH!!! I _-THINK-_ they were green too....-   
This is a teaser. I can write more to it, or not. It depends on the review no da! ^~ If you review and ask me to write it..if at least ONE person asks me to, I will! ^_^   
-- 

A young man walked through a garden of flowers. He had no idea why he had come here, but it was peaceful, and for some reason, it calmed him. He brushed white strands of hair away from his emerald eyes. It was night, and quiet, so he had decided to take a walk. This garden had beconed him. He stopped walking as he heard a voice. It was warm, and humming a gentle tune. 

His gaze wandered until he saw a girl humming to some white roses. She had long chesnut hair, and wore a simple pink dress and a small red jacket over it. She turned to him, meeting his equally deep emerald eyes. The only differences in them were her joy, her innocence, her being. Everything was shown in those eyes. 

The young woman blinked at him. His eyes seemed pained, as if he held pain in from something far behind him. Why did she feel like she had met this man before? She remembered fear and anticipation...and that was all she could remember as she stared back into his eyes. It was he who broke the stare, looking at the flowers she had been humming to. 

"You're the one who takes care of this garden, I assume?" She nodded at his words. He had met her somewhere before...he just couldn't remember were from. The young woman smiled at him gently. 

"My name is Aeris." 

"A pleasure to meet you, Aeris. My name is..." 

The words came out of her before her mind even registered it. "Sephiroth."   
  



	2. Prologue: Familiarity and Fear

Because of a Garden and a Twilight Walk   
By Ranma Inverse   
--A seemingly A.U ff7 fic ^.~--   
Alt. Pairing, obviously, for those who read the teaser. ^_^

_Author's notes: Whee! I'm so very happy and thankful to all who reviewed the teaser-idea! I hope I can keep all of this story as good as you hope/expect/anticipate it to be! Please review and inform me of any mistakes in the fic on my part, I would appreciate it and positive feedback. ^_^ Please review this part of the story, this is going to be a very slow beginning, but..I hope it's okay. I need to start it before they meet. How come noone told me if I was correct on the assumption that Sephiroth had green eyes?! I still don't remember! Waah! @.@ After this fic...could someone tell me if they'd be interested in a Rufus/Aeris fic? or a Vincent/Aeris or Vincent/Tifa or a Reno/Yuffie? Hopefully somebody'll like one or two of these couples and would like me to write a fic for them! I really hope someone wants me to do the first and the last couple ideas..I know, Reno/Yuffie's been done before, but it's good, and...i've never seen a Rufus/Aeris fic!_

_This deals with new characters, by the way. Sephiroth and Aeris were reborn by being given birth to by mothers that were not involved in the ff7 storyline. Therefore, they're young, while the other ff7 characters are older. Some of the characters even had children!! Sephiroth and Aeris weren't the only two given another chance at life, either, one or two more have. But they aren't major characters, Sephy and Aeris are the main! =D_   
**_[Spelling Errors fixed.]_**   
--- 

"Even as I breathe,   
as I sigh,   
the words escape me,   
I don't know why."   
(no stealing this little line, I made it up. o.o;)   
--- 

Sephiroth looked at his watch and sighed as the girl next to him on the elevator chattered endlessly. What did she say her name was? Oh yes, Relena. She had chin length red hair and blue eyes, with a small frame, wearing a black jacket over a loose white button down shirt. The girl had said she was the daughter of Reno and Elena. These words seemed slightly familiar to him, which he had found odd. He shook his head, why worry about trivial details? This girl was a secretary for a job he was not involved with, at least, not yet. 

The elevator stopped and Sephiroth stepped out of it to enter a rather large hallway, white marble tiles covered the floor, and a long blue carpet stretched from the entrance of the building to the reception desk. The place was new, just having been build about two weeks ago. The business had been built for the reason of protecting citizens of Midgar. If monsters from the world ever came too close to the large Midgar, the people of this job would be out there preventing them from entering. They had proclaimed to never take control like the small business of Shinra had slowly done, and the people believed that. 

Shinra. The historical name still brought terror to those who had been alive during it's reign of Midgar. They also seemed to fear Sephiroth whenever he walked across the streets casually. He did not understand why. He was told earlier as a child that he had been named after the main reason of the terror of everyone living, because his mother had seemed so insistent upon it. Why she had been compelled to name a child such a cursed name after this Sephiroth that the current Sephiroth had never known, he did not understand. He brushed some white strands of hair away from his aqua-green eyes, sighing frustratedly. It was not easy to get a job when some people feared him for his name. 

The woman at the reception desk stared at him with wide-eyes as he approached. "Um, Hello sir. I'm Marlene, what is your business here?" She smiled at him, trying not to look fearful as he told her his name and how he was supposed to apply for a job here. She gave him a pamphlet and asked him to fill all of it out and return it later that week. He nodded, and walked out of the building briskly. 

He always felt like he should be repenting for something. He had set that thought to words when he was a child, speaking to his mother. His mother laughed whole-heartedly and put a hand on his head. She had told him that it was for a reason he would probably never know. Sephiroth scanned through the pamphlet as he continued his trail of thought. His mother had always seemed to know more than anyone else. 

Someone had bumped into him. Sephiroth stopped scanning the pamphlet application for a job and looked to see who it was. The girl looked up at him. "Hello." She seemed to be around sixteen, seventeen or so, roughly ten years younger than he. "Sorry for bumping into you. What's your name?" She was a little short for her age, but fit and seemingly agile. Her eyes were chocolate brown and her hair was a light shade of brown, dark brown and blonde hairs mixed in. 

Sephiroth sighed boredly. Most likely this female would hear his name, think of the history of the world, and run away screaming or something along the lines of it. "Sephiroth." Against his assumption, the girl's eyes widened in excitement and curiosity. 

"Wow! You're names the same as the guy who my two parents fought with! And from their description of him...you look just like 'im too!" The girl jumped up, excited. "Could you meet my parents? They're annoying sometimes, but I want to see their reaction to you!" 

Sephiroth put a hand to his forehead and called for the patience that would stop him from saying something rude to the girl for being so annoyingly friendly to a stranger for resembling a would-be destroyer of the world. He forced a smile on and looked down at the girl once more. 

"You know my name, but I do not know yours." 

"I'm Aerith! My mom and dad said they named me after an old friend of there's that was killed. They said they still hoped to see her again, so they named me Aerith, instead of Aeris. My dad said it was 'cause my mom wanted the letter 'h' in my name to represent hope..or something like that...Oh! Oh! I'm being a blabbermouth, sorry! I'm in a hurry to go to my job, too! Gyah!" The girl ran into the building he had just left and Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly. The girl worked where he was going to apply for a job? They took people younger than 18? Interesting. Sephiroth's mouth went thin. Once again, he was thinking of something not very important to the current time. He stored the knowledge of the odd, chirpy young girl in the back of his head in case he met her again if he joined the business. He was confused, and thought on why the name Aeris seemed so familiar to him, bringing a spark of pain. 

. . . 

A young woman smiled gently as a the small hand of a child was held out to her, holding three neatly and freshly cut pink roses. She brushed her chestnut brown hair aside and reached down to the child. She was given the pink roses and she lifted them to her nose, inhaling the scent. The young woman smiled. "Thank you, Sophia." Children that lived in the town of Kalm seemed drawn to the young woman. They loved her and her gentleness, and helped her care for her garden without complaints. They were the ones who had offered to help tend to her garden one day when she seemed tired. Now all the children of Kalm new how to tend a garden. 

"You're welcome, Miss Aeris!" The child said, her young blue innocent eyes twinkling in joy to have pleased Aeris. The young woman noticed Sophia's tousled and messy blonde hair, and laughed. 

"You've been out playing and you tangled your beautiful blonde hair, Sophia," Aeris picked the little child up. "Would you like me to fix it?" Sophia nodded, and was carried inside of Aeris's home. 

Aeris sat Sophia down on the edge of her bed and reached for a brush. She smiled patiently and brushed the fidgety child's hair with so much care that Sophia never felt any hair be tugged tightly in an effort to detangle a knot. She felt gentle tugs when their were large knots, but not any that were painful or near it. Sophia smiled when Aeris was done. "I love you Aeris!" 

She laughed quietly at the girl's proclamation. Everyone at Kalm, the place in which she had grown up in, seemed to like her. Her laughter quieted to a stop as she thought. Everyone, except for one blonde-boy who seemed to gaze at her coolly and regard her coldly. He held emotions in his eyes like no child should, but an adult. The thought of the cold blonde boy chilled her to the bone. His mother had been compelled to name him after the president of used-to-be Shinra. Rufus... 

Familiarity of the name and of the Shinra whenever mentioned, scared her slightly. The fact that it scared her made her confused and even more scared. Why would she, Aeris, be fearful to something in the past when she had not even been born to meet those people. She shook her head, realizing she had been silent too long in thought, for Sophia was staring at her concernedly. "Miss Aeris, are you alright?" 

"I am fine. Thank you for caring, Sophia." Aeris smiled softly and led Sophia out of her house, to come face to face to Sophia's elder brother, Rufus. Sophia smiled at her elder brother and tugged at his hand, but Rufus ignored her for a moment and stared coolly at Aeris, almost as if he could see into her soul with his cold blue eyes. He spoke as if he thought before he spoke every word, almost as if he was far more educated than the other children of Kalm. "You don't belong here, you know. You may have forgotten, but I remember. We were born with the memory, but you forgot it. You forced it to the back of your mind and decided to make a new life here. You don't belong here, and neither do I." Aeris blinked at Rufus' words, and stepped back. 

"Rufus, I do not know what you mean." Aeris smiled, covering her slight fear that she felt whenever she spoke to Rufus, but his chilling words full of meaning she did not fully understand and eyes that bore into her like he knew a secret about her that she herself didn't know made her fearful all the more. "Go and play with you're little sister Sophia." 

"You should try and remember, Aeris Gainsborough." He said, almost spitefully, and turned away from her. He smiled softly to his sister, the air about him changing immediately as he layed eyes on this little child full of hope that was his sister in this new life. He patted her on the head like she was extremely young compared to him, and laughed. "Alright, let's go play." Sophia's eyes brightened and tagged him, running away. Rufus looked back to Aeris, who was still watching him. "You murdered noone, so you were allowed to forget. I was not," He said, his voice cold once more. "If you remembered, you'd either try to push it back into your mind again so that you would forget...or you would try to find your old friends." He smirked. "They would probably think you were some sort of ghost, anyway." He laughed coldly and ran after his sister. 

Ten year old Rufus, the seemingly-cold; distant child, and Sophia. They were like two sides of a coin. Male, female. Cold, Warm. Serious, Silly. Seemingly-pained, Happy and filled with laughter. It was like Sophia was his reason for life now. Aeris shook her head. But what had Rufus been talking about? She didn't understand... 

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and shut her door, leaning against it, taking comfort in the warm surroundings of her home. "What was he talking about?" She put a hand on her heart. 

"What did he mean?"   



	3. Chapter One: Plagued by Forgotten Memori...

**Because of a Garden and a Twilight Walk**   
By Ranma Inverse

  
  
  
  
  
  


_Author's notes: Okay! Person that requested a Vincent and Aeris fic, I will do so soon! I just came up with an idea for them yesterday anyway(this was written before I put out: Heart's Call. ^^;) =D*Bows* ^_^ Any other requests? ^.~ I'll only refuse a request if I'm against the pairing..and im not against many pairings at all (Only two ff7 pairings come to mind...). Or if I don't know how i'd get them together in a fic. Oh..._

_Um...for those who've seen my other stories, I guess you can tell i'm not someone who usually writes Angst stuff...well...I want a happy Sephy/Aeris fic, so im writing one. =p lol. But those realistic Sephy/Aeris fics are pretty good too. ^.~ (I think one was titled Sadistic Love- It was moving but sickeningly realistic. I liked it. ^_^)_   
**_[Spelling Errors fixed.]_**   
-----   
"And all the things you hold so dear..   
will turn to whisper in your ear..."   
-Duvet, Boa.   
----- 

From above, almost like watching an event occur, he saw A blonde, spiky haired man almost cut a chestnut-haired girl in two. Another brunette girl and a man with long black hair stopped him. His eyes widened as he saw a sword go through the chesnut girl's heart. The man who was the weilder of the sword... 

No! No! I couldn't be! It was him! 

Sephiroth opened his eyes, awaking from sleep and sat up. "...." The man had looked exactly like himself. The only difference was the clothing and the sword. He slipped out of bed and walked to a window. Why had that dream seemed so familiar? Why did his dreams always haunt him? Like they wanted him to know something... 

He shook his head and opened his bedroom window, listening to the sounds of the night as cool air swept into his room giving the sensation of being cleansed. He put his shoulders on the windowsill and looked out at the city of Midgar. The air was clean now, cleaner than it used to be since Shinra had been stopped. A company had decided to clean the polluted air of Midgar that filled the slums, and so far they were doing a very good job of it. Sephiroth sighed and observed the almost-silent town. 

_A woman fell into a blonde man's arms, the blonde man shaking with pain, anger, and sorrow. He looked up at him in hate. The man with long black hair was wearing a frown on his face, and the short, brown haired girl dressed oddly had a few tears falling out of her eyes._

Sephiroth blinked and shook his head. What had that come from? He walked over to his desk and looked over the pamphlet that was completed only halfway. He brushed long white bangs from his eyes and sighed as he sat down into a chair. "Might as well finish this for tomorrow," He murmured and began to work. 

That morning he walked briskly to the building he had entered yetserday and stepped inside. The woman who had told him that her name was Marlene was there behind the desk once again. Sephiroth softly, without making any sound placed the papers on the desk. Marlene blinked, her eyes widening. "You finished already, sir?" 

Sephiroth nodded as she looked over the pamphlet. "Very well." She put the pamphlet down and pressed a button on the desk. "Boss, there is someone here who should do very well on the battlefield. I checked your schedule and currently you have nothing going on, so perhaps you would see him now?" 

A gruff, but old voice spoke. "Very well. Show 'im in." Marlene stood up from her chair behind the desk and gestured towards a door as she walked to it. "Follow me, sir." She led him through a hallway and opened the last door. A very large, dark skinned man stood with his back to them, gazing out the window. Marlene looked up at Sephiroth and gave him a small smile before bowing and leaving the room. 

Silence filled the room, seeping into it's very corners until the dark-skinned man spoke, his back still to Sephiroth. "Marlene tol' me ya looked like a pers'n I used ta talk about in stories, but she wuldn' say who it wus. What's yer name?" 

"My name is Sephiroth." 

The large, dark-skinned man turned around and growled. "WHUT THE HELL?! SEPHIROTH'S DEAD! YA CAN'T BE 'IM! YA COULDN' BE REVIV'D!" 

"I was named after him." Sephiroth said calmly and walked to a window as the large man swore a curse under his breath. The large man set his gaze on Sephiroth's back. 

"'Cept for yer clothes I'd say ya look exactly like 'im." The man crossed his arms. "Why the hell'd yer parents name ya a cursed name like his?" 

Sephiroth shook his head and frowned. "I do not know. When I asked after they would tell the story of Cloud Strife and his crew, my mother would simply smile at me like she knew but would never tell." Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he realized he had said something that the man before him need not know. 

"Scary as hell..." The large man scratched the back of his head. "For all I know you could be the real Sephiroth come back from the dead! I should kill ya now..." 

Sephiroth kneeled and formed a fighting stance. "If you attempt to kill me, you shall regret it." 

"...but I don't know if you're the real Sephiroth. Aghh...Alright! You got your fucking job, now let's see where I can assign you-" he stopped as Sephiroth raised a hand, half-expecting him to use materia on him. 

"You know my name, I wish to know yours," Sephiroth spoke calmly. 

"Barrett." 

"Very well, Barrett. Where shall I be assigned?" 

"We're needin' a person at Kalm. Nothin' big, but they requested help from occasional beasts that wander near town." Barett saw himself in the window, faintly acting like a mirror. "I would have gone myself...but I'm so goddamned old now." 

Sephiroth produced a small smile and bowed, almost mockingly. "Very well, I'll head to Kalm at once." 

"I'll send word of your coming." Barrett heard the door to his office shut as he finished his sentence, and sat down with a small growl. 

"Damn guy gave m' the chills. Too much like the old Sephiroth. Way too similar, except this one appears to be sane." Barrett put a hand on his forehead. "What'll I say next time Cloud 'n Tifa or the others call..." 

. . . 

"What?!" Rufus stood up, hands slamming down on the table. Aeris had been invited to his family's dinner, but the news his current mother said sent a chill up his spine. No...just Aeris and himself, those were the only two people who should have been reborn. If only he didn't have this younger, child's body...He gazed at Aeris longingly for a moment. She was a beauty, like the flowers she so loved. 

"Rufus dear, sit down." 

"Yes mother...but please, what do you mean, 'A soldier named the same name as old Sephiroth is coming here'? Isn't he..." He stopped. They didn't know he was really the Rufus from the past. "Mother, isn't Sephiroth a bad person?" He put on a childish voice. His 'mother' smiled and patted him on the head. 

"The old Sephiroth was. His very name is feared. But he couldn't possibly be the same person as the old Sephiroth, for he is dead." 

_ Just because he's 'dead' doesn't mean he stops existing, old woman._ Rufus thought angrily. He forced a childish smile. "Oh!" He went back to eating and thinking. 

Meanwhile, Aeris was hearing voices. Had she gone insane? No... 

_--You are the last ancient, reborn. Listen to us!--_

Aeris' eyes widened. _No way...you have the wrong person, _she thought. Sophia was staring at her with innocent, worried blue eyes. "Miss Aeris, are you okay?" 

Emerald eyes switched from startled to glistening with care as she put a hand on Sophia's head. "I am afraid I cannot stay the rest of the night, as you wanted me to, invited me to. I just remembered something I have to do. Please excuse me." 

Rufus and Sophia's parents nodded, Sophia hugged Aeris before she could leave, and Rufus watched her with eyes full of something she didn't know. Aeris smiled at them before leaving and running back home in the rain, the voices following her, begging for her to listen and understand, telling her that the dangerous one was coming, and might destroy her again like he had once already...none of this was making sense to Aeris as she fell onto her bed and hugged her pillow tightly to her chest. 


	4. Chapter Two: The "Danger" Enters Kalm

**Because of A Garden and A Twilight Walk**   
by Ranma Inverse

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Author's Notes: T.T Waaah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I knooow, I know that the conversation part with Barret and Sephiroth wasn't very good! Plus, Who says Sophia is anyone from the past? Geeeeeezee, not EVERYONE that died is once again alive! Just three, maybe four people. ^~ I'm not saying whether or not i'm gonna have a fourth person (So far: Aeris, Sephiroth, Rufus.) You'll have to find out! Um...please please pleeaaase don't hate my fic. -.-;; I got a really long email on everything that was "wrong" with this fanfic. Pleaaase, pleaaase, if you don't like my fanfic, be nice about it! Good greif, like it or don't like it. I'm not making you read this story! You're making yourself read it! And don't read it if you're gonna complain over the bloody pairing!_

_By the way: Thanks, people who corrected me on the Sephiroth thing...but..hey, in the game his hair looked white, so i'm keeping it white. =p. And, since I already have most of this fanfic written down (just being really slow so I'll get more reviews! ^_^! I wrote it on a notepad so it takes time to put it on the computer!). I don't think i'm going to change Sephiroth's eye color. Oh..heck, alright. We'll call it "Aqua-green" since it looks blue-green. (Turquoise? Are you aware that that is really stand-out light blue? I don't think Sephiroth's eyes are THAT color! Please don't take offense. ^^;) I'll fix the already put up chapters later. Once I have the whole fanfic up I might fix all the mistakes I know I'll end up having, to make the fanfic better!_   
_Thank you so much for reading my unworthy fanfiction! ^_^;_   
**[Spelling Errors Fixed.]**   
--- 

_"I am falling..I am fading...I am drowning..Help me to breathe.." - Duvet, Boa. ^^; (Thanks, xxxIrisxxx!)_

_---_

_Wind rushed past her as she ran through the lush green of the forest._

_ She looked to the left, to the right, for anything that would allow her to hide...though from what, she did not know._

_ "Please...please...please..." She ran as far as her feet could carry her, until she came to a cliff..where she was not quick enough to stop._

_ She fell._

Aeris jumped up from sleep with her soft green eyes wide. She brushed a few droplets of sweat from her brow and waited until her breathing went from heavy gasps to a calm, normal rhythm. 

She sighed when her breathing went normal and looked around her bedroom. Everything was exactly where it had been the day before. Aeris slid out of bed and began to prepare for the rest of the day. 

There was noise outside, and she leaned her head out of her window to see what it was. A bunch of children had surrounded Rufus and had begun to tease him. Rufus stared at them in silence, not seeming the least bit hurt. 

Nonetheless, Aeris narrowed her eyes and stormed downstairs in her pajamas, rushing outside and stomping to the scene. All of the children surrounding Rufus turned to face the chestnut haired woman with her hair down, moving in the wind and in an ankle-length dress-like soft pink sleep-outfit. 

Rufus' eyes widened just slightly and turned his head to the side so his slight blush wasn't noticed. Aeris looked at the children disdainfully. 

"How could you all be so cruel to Rufus? He hasn't done you any harm. I thought I had taught you all better. You ruined my hopes for you." 

_Humans will be humans..._ a voice rang in her head. She tried to ignore it. The children were all looking down at the ground and apologizing profusely. 

"Alright, alright. I forgive you, but don't ever do that to someone again. It's wrong." Aeris looked to Rufus, who was watching her with slight amazement. 

"Why defend someone like me?" 

Emerald eyes blinked, taken aback. "Why let someone hurt another?" Aeris answered with a question of her own and picked him up. 

"....Th.....Tha...Thanks." He managed to blurt out quickly, then pretended as if he had never said it. Why could this woman, this flower girl that had traveled with Cloud Strife, this ancient with human blood mixed inside, make him regret all of his actions? His thought process stopped as she smiled at him. 

"I need to get dressed, but could you wait for me in the garden?" Rufus nodded at her words and ran there once she put him down. She turned and headed back to her home to get dressed. 

When she got there, she found the blonde boy watering her plants and ripping out weeds from the roots up. Aeris kneeled down next to him and smiled, beginning to help him. Rufus jumped when he saw her hands, then looked to her and tinge of red appeared on his cheeks. He turned his head away from her and said quietly and grumpily, 

"Since...since you helped me I thought I might as well help you out. That way I don't owe you." 

Aeris let out a laugh and patted Rufus on the head affectionately. "You and Sophia are wonderful." 

. . . 

"Man, I'm so nervous!" A blonde, spiky haired boy spoke up. His eyes were purple and he wore a blue shirt and jeans. The girl that answered him, Sephiroth remembered as Aerith, sighed exasperatingly. 

"I can't believe you're my brother. Gawd, don't be so nervous. We practiced alot with Mom and Dad, and you almost won against dad!" 

"But I don't really like to fight..." The boy looked discouraged. Sephiroth tilted his head towards them, his arms crossed and legs spread out, sitting on a crate as the huge van drove closer and closer to Kalm. Aerith smacked him on the back, grinning, and spoke up again. 

"Don't worry Cliff, You have Sephiroth coming with you! I'm allowed to see you off since this is in the direction of where I'm headed." 

"Where are you headed again, sis?" 

"Se. cret." Aerith laughed then sat down. Cliff looked to Sephiroth and sat down next to him, his smile eager. 

"You're going to Kalm too?" 

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what your sister just said?" 

"Sis already told me about you. She said you acted just like the original Sephiroth! That's cool!" 

Aerith smacked Cliff. "The original Sephiroth wasn't cool, this one is. This Sephiroth hasn't done anything bad!" 

_Or, have I?_ Sephiroth thought. _Perhaps what she said is not true._

The van came to a stop and Aerith swung the van doors wide. "First stop, Kalm! All leaving, leave now!" Before Cliff had a chance to move, he was in the air having been thrown by his sister. He landed on the ground and slid a few feet. Aerith grinned. 

"Have fun, Bro!" 

Sephiroth stepped out of the van and stood at full height. The town was small, he observed. But peaceful and quiet. Why would monsters be crawling around the outskirts of this town? There had to be something attracting them here. 

But what? 


	5. Chapter Three: The Fated Meeting

**Because of A Garden and A Twilight Walk**   
by Ranma Inverse

  
  


_Author's Notes: *eyes her email.* Just ONE more email and I will quit writing this fanfic. -.- Not bad email, it's just im kinda sick about the "Sephiroth has such and such hair and such and such eyes." o.O I asked for help, i didn't ask to beaten up and sworn at for choosing to write "Aqua-green" for his eyes and "White" for his hair. ^-^() But away from this tiring subject.._

_ Thank you, Lady Voldemort (I hope I got the name right!), for managing to not insult me while telling me your opinion (at least, I don't remember any insults..). ^_^ I appreciate your kindness. Anywhoo...Thanks for the reviews! Please review this chapter too! n.n! Also, I am VERY SORRY that this chapter took SOOO long to come out!_

_By the way...i'm sorry, but this chapter is short because of what's planned for chapter four. ^_^_   
**[Spelling Errors Fixed.]**   
_- - -_

_ "Close your eyes..and it's so clear..." - Gravity Of Love, Enigma._   
_- - -_

Sephiroth let out a sigh as Cliff continued to follow him as he wandered through the outskirts of town, surveying all and destroying a monster every now and then. So eager to learn, yet so new at seeing even monsters dying. 

_Just like Cloud._

The silvery-white haired man blinked his aqua-green eyes and stopped his walking abruptly. Where had that thought come from? He turned to the spike-haired boy who looked slightly confused by his actions. "What do you think you're doing?" his irritation was caused by the thought he had had of a boy he did not remember. Or did he? He shook his head and waited for the boy's reply. 

"F-following you, Sir. I thought I'd get the hang of it better after watching you." Cliff spoke. 

Aqua-green eyes narrowed and he turned away from the boy. "Very well," he said with a cold tone to it. Sephiroth began to walk to the town. "Go take a break, the next time we check around the town it'll be two hours after midnight. Get some rest before then." He quickly left the boy and went to take a look around town at night. 

. . . 

Looking up at the sky, Aeris smiled at the silver moon hanging in the twilight sky as she tended to her garden. Whenever she was worried, sad or confused, taking care of her flowers would cheer her up. Right now she was trying to ignore the voices inside of her. 

_--The Enemy Is Here!--_ One yelled frantically. 

_ --Run, now!--_ Another spoke. 

_--**RUN!**-- _They yelled frantically, their voice echoing their fright. At the loud shout, Aeris dropped her watering can and covered her ears as her knees fell to the ground, bringing her to a half-standing, half-sitting position. 

"Stop, stop it now!" Aeris begged. The terrified voices refused. Aeris gathered up her courage, "_Stop_!" she demanded. They went back to a soft murmur and after a few moments of not moving, she picked up her watering can and went back to work. 

. . . 

Sephiroth stopped as he came across a large garden planted next to a perfectly normal looking house. He paused a moment, thinking, before entering. He had no idea why he felt compelled to enter, but it was peaceful, and for some reason, it calmed him. He brushed white strands of hair away from his aqua-green eyes. The quiet tranquility of the night had a serene beauty of it's own mixed with the garden. Hearing a warm voice humming a soft and gentle tune, he stopped abruptly and scanned the area. 

His gaze wandered until he saw a girl humming to some white roses. She had long chesnut hair, and wore a simple pink dress and a small red jacket over it. Before he could speak, she turned to him, meeting his deep aqua-green eyes. In them shown her joy, her innocence; her being. Everything was shown in those deep emerald eyes. 

Aeris blinked at what she could read from his eyes. He seemed pained, as if he held it in from something far behind him. Why did she feel like she had met this man before? She remembered fear and anticipation...and that was all she could remember as she stared back into his eyes. It was he who broke the stare, looking at the flowers she had been humming to. 

"You're the one who takes care of this garden, I assume?" She nodded at his words. He had met her somewhere before...he just couldn't remember were from. The young woman smiled at him gently. 

"My name is Aeris." 

"A pleasure to meet you, Aeris. My name is..." 

The words came out of her before her mind even registered it. "Sephiroth." 


	6. Chapter Four: Of Spilled Coffee and the...

**Because of A Garden and A Twilight Walk**   
by Ranma Inverse

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_Author's Notes: Oh dear lord, It's been too long since I last did a chapter for B.O.A.G.A.T.W. T.T Gomen? Please forgive? ^_^; I hope people didn't begin to think I abandoned this..._   
_Also, did I get Tifa's last name right? *Hopeful look* [Comment: Thanks Lady Voldemort, for correcting me!]_   
**[Spelling Errors Fixed.]**   
_. . ._   
_ "Real...as....me..." - Silence._   
**. . .**   


"..." Sephiroth turned and Aeris stretched a hand out towards him. 

"Don't go! I apologize for calling you that name--" Her words were cut off as the white haired man turned to her with an almost cold, unearthly expression on his face. His eyes...haunting eyes...they almost seemed to be Mako eyes...but they couldn't, could they? Shinra fell quite a few years ago... 

"That," he paused, "_is_ my name." 

Aeris Gainsborough stood there with a look mixed with fear and confusion. "You're name is..." 

"Sephiroth." The man completed. 

But how could that be? The man she had heard of in the legends was dead. "Does that mean you're _the_ Sephiroth...?" 

An aggravated sigh was voiced from him. "No. My mother named me after him." 

"But why would someone name a child after such a person?" 

"...I do not know." 

The chestnut haired woman smiled gently to him. "You must be one of the soldiers the mayor hired, am I correct?" As Sephiroth nodded, she gestured to her home. "Perhaps you'd like to stay for a bit? I was just about to make a cup of coffee..." 

Sephiroth smiled and the haunting in his eyes seemed to disappear. "That would be nice, if I may intrude." 

Emerald eyes sparkled slightly, cheerfully, "You may." 

. . . 

After she had set the table and the two had begun to drink their coffee, little was said. Aeris was trying to fight the voices in her mind, while Sephiroth's blue-green eyes watched her. 

_--Foolish half cetra!--_

_ --Kill it, before the voice takes it!--_

_ --The Evil One must be stopped!--_

_ --The Evil One...WILL DESTROY YOU!!!--_ They chorused. The loudness of it caused her ears to ring and her grip loosening and spilling her cup of coffee on her lap. She let out a small squeal of suprise and the white haired man handed her napkins. 

As she dabbed her pink dress that had become her trademark to the people of Kalm, Sephiroth asked, "Where do you keep your towels?" 

"Third door to the right, in the right bottom drawer of the cupboard." 

The man with haunting eyes nodded and left to get one while she tried to soak up the majority of the hot drink out of her dress. "Please don't be ruined..." she whispered. 

When he returned, she had gotten most of it out, bowed to the white haired man, asked him to stay there, and ran upstairs. After a few minutes, she returned wearing an exact replica of the dress, only white. 

"I'm sorry for the wait..." 

"Next time you should be more careful," Sephiroth remarked and Aeris lowered her head, cheeks red in embarrassment. 

Aeris walked past him and began to clean up the rest of the mess. As she did so, white hair fell where he gaze was, and she turned her head to see that the man had begun to help her, wiping up what he could with the towel he had fetched for her. A small smile found it's way to her mouth. He did not seem to be enjoying the task. 

As they finished, Aeris put the towel in the laundry room and came back to see Sephiroth standing before the door, about to leave, dressed in all his glory...and still, the haunting eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the twilight. The emerald eyed girl shook her head. "Are you leaving?" 

He nodded. 

"Well, I hope to see you again," she said in farewell, and the man left. 

The voices died down as soon as he was out of sight, and as the noise of the door closing stopped, a body dressed in white fell to the floor, summoned into a sleep by beings long forgotten, except by few... 

. . . 

_"Would you like a flower?"_

_ . . ._

_ A small flower being handed to a blonde man with mako eyes. A small smile almost tinged his lips as he held in his hand. She smiled hopefully before leaving._

_ The sound of crumbling and the loud smack of a body hitting a soft flower bed. The flower bed...was hers, wasn't it? The blonde man again...she stood and did nothing for a moment..._

_ A man walking into the church...she did not remember his name...but the feeling of foreboding...He stood and watched as she and blonde man talked._

_ Running, bullets from behind, the blonde man trying to help her....barrels falling..._

_ Laughter, jumping...freedom. A journey home...where was home? A house...a heaven...her precious Materia..Materia? She owned no Materia...did she?_

_Helping....a talk...SOLDIER...boyfriend...playground...Tifa. Tifa Lockheart. Friend. Love...rival? No, not love rival...but close to it...she was seen as such by Tifa. Who was Tifa? She didn't know a Tifa..._

_ The blond man dressed as a girl...a place owned by a nasty man...three threats and information...trick floor...sewers...train graveyard..._

_ Sector 7. 7th Heaven...a store...Barrett..._

_ Blonde hair and Mako eyes. Cloud._

_ Turks...helicopter...Shinra...Vice President Rufus Shinra..._

_ "A flower girl from the slums."_

_ ...Jenova...._

_ Sephiroth._

_ Sephiroth. Sephiroth. Sephiroth...._

_ SEPHIROTH!_

_ Prayer..._

_ A sword. Metal slicing into and out of her...White Materia falling..._

_ ...The Blonde Man picking her up once she fell...and the blurry images ceased as she heard Cloud call her name._

Emerald eyes snapped open as she let out a scream. 

--_You remember now, half Cetra_.-- 

--**_Do you feel fear now?_**-- 

--_Acknowledge his murder..._-- 

--_Bring the Evil One's vessel death..._-- 

"...What?" 

--_Innocence of a garden...symbol of the half Cetra's heart...beckoning the vessel of the Evil One...the Voice..._-- 

_ --Because of the garden...the twilight walk...the two have met. Corruption and that which can not be corrupted...--_

"..Stop...stop...I don't _understand_!!!" 

--**_...The half Cetra refuses to understand._**-- 

--_Ignorance beckons your death once again, Last One.._-- 

--_Or do you wish to stop fate from repeating once more?_-- 

--_Earth...we do not understand her...granting it's vessel life again.._.-- 

--**_And rejecting our half Cetra from the promised land, erasing the memories and turning her back into a child to live once more as well._**-- 

"...? You're Cetra, aren't you? All of you..." 

--_She acknowledges us._-- 

"Why speak to me again? I'm not...Sephiroth killed me...why...why am I here? Why is he here? ...Why is he so different...?" 

--**_Did we not half answer that already?_**-- 

--Enough_...Wake up, half Cetra...Aeris Gainsborough. Wake up._-- 

And with that, she did. More confused, wondering and fearful than she had ever been before.   



	7. Chapter Five: Grumblings, Loners, and Ro...

Because of a Garden and a Twilight Walk  
  
by Ranma Inverse  
  
Author's notes: Well...erm...I apologize for my very rude abrupt stop in writing. Eh, well, what can one do? Sometimes things come up. It's really short, but i'm having trouble getting back into the fanfiction world, still.   
  
I'm working hard, and bringing things out in short bits as I work on them. I hope I can get back on track.  
  
For anyone who thinks Aeris is unnecessarily weak...since she doesn't have the Planet comforting her, what else will she use? Sympathy is something she affectively used to stand up and face things, if that makes sense. She wasn't calculating or cruel (probably), but she did need to feel cared for by others. At least someone. And she had the Planet to comfort her.  
  
. . .  
  
"Maybe I was dreaming of a garden growing far below..." - The Secret Garden musical... . . .  
  
"Please tell me i'm not insane, Rufus," Aeris looked to the young boy with a lost expression.   
  
The blonde boy patted her head awkwardly, as if their ages had been switched. His blue eyes flickered with uncertainty. "You're not insane. You've been given a jolt because of a sudden rush of memories from...before this." Rufus gestured to himself, Aeris, and the garden around them.   
  
"Why don't we hate each other?" Aeris asked him in her confusion. She was still trying to find her balance from the memory event. Rufus raised an eyebrow at her, looking, as usual, unnaturally mature for his age. "True...never mind. We've spent time like this together, without all of those circumstances. I'm glad. It shows you really are a good person...and you just did what you knew." The boy looked uncomfortable, and his gaze lowered to his feet.   
  
Without warning, his face then turned cold, and he eyed her. "Or maybe you're too naive to learn from your mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, fear from the past is a good point made. I am still Rufus Shinra, the fallen president of Shin-Ra who loathes AVALANCHE, misses his specialized team of idiots...and I do not forgive you," he spat out. He crossed his arms and looked at her in a superior way, managing to be surprisingly effective in it despite his current physical stage. He smirked at her, turned, and began to walk away. "No, I don't forgive your innocence at all."  
  
And as he turned the corner and left Aeris' field of vision, he sighed. He was cruel by nature, whether he liked the flower girl or not. He said what he pleased, resorting to whatever was necessary to swing power in his favor. Especially when he felt uncomfortable. Especially when he felt like he was the one who was losing power.   
  
Idiot. Stupid, innocent idiot. Tending to her garden hours before the sun even rose...   
  
Didn't she realize he couldn't help her?  
  
. . .  
  
The night was near an end...and the majority of monsters seemed to have left the outskirts of time. They were hiding...almost as if they had an organized thought to "bide their time." Sephiroth massaged his temples with one hand as he stood in the hotel lobby. Why would they be doing that?   
  
First, something tempts them so that they venture too close to a village...  
  
...and now something scares them away from it?  
  
There was a thread forming in the back of his mind, but he pushed the tendril down. He had to check around the town, and observe the villagers. There were a few possibilities to be checked off before he resorted to that idea as a possibility.   
  
His subordinate rushed over to him in his excitable way, and gave him a rather unnecessary salute. Cliff's face was slightly flushed, which suggested that he had been running. "Sir! Still at a loss for what it could be?"  
  
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow in Cliff's direction. "I did not say nor imply that I was "at a loss" for what the possible problems could be. The process...when there are potential human factors in the equation...is tedious and time-consuming, however. We should plan to be here for quite a while. At the time being, the monsters are aware of our presence, and are staying farther away. We will need to be prepared in most cases for a section of the town being attacked, but it is unlikely. I will expect you to join me in rounds about the town at night."   
  
"Yeah, the mayor couldn't exactly afford any more people to protect this place. Kinda, sad, too. It's a nice town," Cliff said brightly.   
  
The older man shook his head, attached his sword its proper place at his side, and headed for the door.  
  
"Planning on getting to know the villagers?" Cliff questioned.  
  
"We are here for a reason. Do keep that in mind," Sephiroth said, and left.  
  
Loner type, Cliff mused.  
  
. . .  
  
After quite a bit of thinking, Aeris had gotten back on her feet. If she was remembering, and Rufus already knew, then Sephiroth, surely...?  
  
She bit her lip and looked to her roses. The planet itself used to speak to her. Now, she listened to the roses of her garden. Soft whispers reached her mind as she began caring for them again. Their tones were like satin compared to the harsher voices of those...people.  
  
~Aeris should do what Aeris thinks is right.  
  
~True, true! Aeris is wise. Aeris can feel us. Opening her ears to us opens her heart, too.  
  
~Miss Aeris should look for answers. Miss Aeris mustn't let another life ruin this one. Influence, perhaps...  
  
~Never, never! Use your knowledge of it, but...do not let it hinder you.  
  
The flower girl smiled and nodded. Yes, that's what she'd do.  
  
Her confident smile faltered.   
  
The voices of the Cetra would rise above their murmuring if she went near him again. She needed to avoid him, not try to get some sort of...  
  
She wasn't exactly what she wanted from the man who killed her.  
  
.......................................................  
  
Rueh - Thank you very much for your review!  
  
Star-lancer - Well, yes, I hadn't updated in quite a while....but here's the next chapter!  
  
Aloria - I love you. I love your reviews. I offer you a shrine in worship. ^_^ *Smiles* You make this author happy that you like this story so much, and feel very guilty about taking so long at the same time! I apologize!  
  
Tempest-Dragona - I'm back at it again! I'm so sorry for the wait! A year, nearly, eh? Gyeh....  
  
Pete D. - Thank you. I worship your reviews, and your kind criticism. I miss you, too!   
  
And to all the other reviewers - Thank you so much! 


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